diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 62985bc76..01b306fc9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/), and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
+### Added
+- improved logging for realm retrieval errors [#1010](https://github.com/adorsys/keycloak-config-cli/issues/1010)
 ### Fixed
 - Allow environment variables from existing secrets [#822](https://github.com/adorsys/keycloak-config-cli/issues/822)
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/src/main/java/de/adorsys/keycloak/config/service/checksum/ChecksumService.java b/src/main/java/de/adorsys/keycloak/config/service/checksum/ChecksumService.java
index 735e4b14d..87bd7b21a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/de/adorsys/keycloak/config/service/checksum/ChecksumService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/de/adorsys/keycloak/config/service/checksum/ChecksumService.java
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@ public void doImport(RealmImport realmImport) {
 
     public boolean hasToBeUpdated(RealmImport realmImport) {
         RealmRepresentation existingRealm = realmRepository.get(realmImport.getRealm());
+        if (existingRealm == null) {
+            throw new InvalidImportException("The specified realm does not exist: " + realmImport.getRealm());
+        }
         Map<String, String> customAttributes = existingRealm.getAttributes();
 
         String readChecksum = customAttributes.get(getCustomAttributeKey(realmImport));